Saundra Shirley is the Telecommunications Specialist for the American Library Association's (ALA's) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP). Prior to joining OITP, Ms. Shirley worked with the Pennsylvania Senate Policy Development and Research Office covering a variety of state and federal policy issues with a focus on information and technology issues. She also prepared a leadership training workshop and resource materials for the statešs Pa2K Outreach Program (a joint program between the Governor's Office of Information Technology and Penn State University). Ms. Shirleyšs more than fifteen years experience in legal and legislative research and public policy includes work with the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, Powell Tate (a crisis management/ public relations firm), and the Senate Research Office of the Georgia General Assembly. She is also a consultant in public policy and strategic planning.

For ALA-OITP, Ms. Shirley focuses on telecommunications and information technology policy. The issues she handles include Digital Divide, E-Rate/universal service, advanced services and broadband, the Internet/World Wide Web, information technology, and related policy issues. Ms. Shirley monitors and addresses ALAšs interests in these issues through contact with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and other related agencies, organizations, and industries.